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Drum Sticks Chipping

Hi, I don't know whether it's my technique but my drum sticks seem to be chipping a lot! And bits of like sawdust falling down when I hit my cymbals, does anyone know if this is normal and what i can do to stop (if this is bad technique) Thanks!

I don't know if they are available where you are, but maybe the Carbosticks will help. I haven't tried them yet (I plan to next trip to the drum shop), but I understand they last lots longer than wood sticks with a feel that's supposed to be very much like hickory. I would expect little to no chipping from them. They cost about as much as 3 or 4 pair of wood sticks, but if they last 6 times longer you are ahead of the game.

a word on 'carbo' sticks and the like: you are hitting two objects together. applying force, making contact. at some point something needs to give/absorb the shock. wood sticks are the cheapest and and most replaceable of the objects in question (sticks, drum/cymbal, your arm/wrist).
nothing major, plenty of people use those types of sticks, but a point to be considered none the less.

IMHO, if you're really chipping your sticks fast into sawdust, its your technique. I used to do the same thing. I was hitting my hats on the side, instead of the top. That was my main problem, maybe I was hitting my crashes on the side, too. I worked on my technique, I changed the positions of my hats and crashes, and now my sticks just dent, they don't chip. I used to smoke a pair of Vic Firth X5B's in a set or two, now Vic 5A's last me 2-3 months.